The invention relates to an implement adapted to clear a field of crop residue after harvest, by first flattening the plant stalks onto the ground and subsequently cutting and shredding them.
The plants of cotton and corn, as well as the stubble and straw of wheat and rice are left in the field after the crops have been harvested. The residue of one crop must be disposed off in some manner before seedbed preparation begins for the next crop. Burning of the residue has long been a thorough way, but this is now in disfavor because soil-improving practices show the need for returning all crop residue to the soil.
In the past several types of implements have been developed for residue removal, and these can be essentially classified as follows: 1. The radial-rotating-knife cutter-shredder; 2. The horizontal-rotating-knife cutter-mower; 3. The flail-type stalk shredder and 4. The stalk-and-root extracting and shredding implement.
The first two types do not actually shred the residue, but only mow or chop it. The flail-type stalk shredder does, in fact, do some shredding, but it does not thoroughly comminute the stalks, since the operation is haphazard and not controllable. On the other hand, the stalk-and-root extracting implements containing a shredder, which are preferably employed for clearing cotton fields, are highly efficient and leave a clean field after passage; they are, however, highly intricate and, accordingly, heavy and costly, besides of their high energy consumption.
The present invention has the object to provide an implement for crop residue disposal by cutting and shredding it, while only leaving a small root portion in the soil.
It is another object to provide an implement that is of relatively small dimensions that can be readily attached to an agricultural traction vehicle and be power-operated by means of the power-take-off shaft of the vehicle.
And it is a further object to provide an implement of light weight and simple construction and, accordingly of low cost.